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Dawn Lerner

Just when we thought there would always be a paucity in nefarious female bosses in The Walking Dead, one Dawn Lerner came along.

Bitch, cunt—you've probably exhausted all pejoratives after seeing what she did in the midseason finale ("Coda"). How dare she!

Officer Lerner reminds me of those harridans manning the immigration counters at the airport. In their crisp cop uniforms, immigration officers look almost inhuman, as if they have never gawked at an aquarium in their life. Played to stolid perfection by Christine Woods (Hello Ladies), Dawn was unlike anything on 2014 TV. (Maybe except for Fiona Goode.)

As with previous feudal warlords on TWD, it's easy to see Dawn as a stand-in for some political ideology. If the Governor was Bush, Dawn could very well be Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, or Margaret Thatcher, buckling under the weight of a predominantly white, male system. Beth totally got it, yes: Here was a person damaged from constantly trying to prove herself.

Dawn would have made such a valuable member of Team Grimes. Her kicking ass is like the eighth wonder of the world.

We all know she is irredeemable though. As Dr. Edwards warned, she doesn't see good deeds as their own reward.

Thank goddess for Officer Shepherd then. Matriarchy is in good hands after all.